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WILLIAM 



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Descriptive Reading 



ON 



Picturesque Mexico 



ILLUSTRATED BY FIFTY LANTERN 
SLIDES 



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WILLIAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 

1889 



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Copyright, 1889, by William H. Rau. 






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ILLUSTRATIONS. 



1. Vera Cruz Harbor. 

2. Street in Vera Cruz, showing Cathedral. 

3. Plaza in Vera Cruz. 

4. Patio of the Hotel Universal, Vera Cruz. 

5. Peak of Orizaba from Vera Cruz Bailroad. 

6. A Street Corner in Cordova. 

7. A Scene in the Tropics, Cordova. 

8. A hilly Street in Cordova. 

9. Street and Mountain in Cordova. 

10. Picturesque Street in Orizaba. 

11. Street and Cathedral in Orizaba. 

12. Tropical Scenery, Orizaba. 

13. Scenery about Orizaba from Hotel De la Borda. 

14. Mexican Kitchen. 

15. Old Bridge at Acambaro. 

16. Puebla, showing Popocatepetl. 

17. Puebla, showing Iztaccihuatl. 

18. Street in Puebla, showing Cathedral. 

19. Street in Puebla, with Church of San Christobal. 

20. Aztec Pyramid, Cholula. 

21. Panorama of City of Mexico. 

22. The Cathedral, City of Mexico. 

23. Aztec Calendar Stone in Cathedral, City of Mexico. 

24. Plaza Guadaloupe, City of Mexico. 
'25. Market Day, City of Mexico. 

26. Street Market Scene, City of Mexico. 

27. Water Carrier, City of Mexico. 

28. La Viga Canal, City of Mexico. 

29. La Viga Canal, Vegetable Boats. 

30. La Viga Canal, Shipping Pulque. 

31. Bull Fight. 

32. Mexican Saloon. 

33. Chapultepec — Garden of Maximilian's Palace. 

34. Chapultepec — The Terrace. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

35. Chapultepec — In the Hanging Gardens. 

36. Old Spanish Castle and Street, Morelia. 

37. Panorama of Guanahuata. 

38. Fountain at Guanahuata. 

39. Cathedral and Plaza, Guanahuata. 

40. Ox Team at Guadalajara. 

41. The Cathedral, Guadalajara. 

42. Church and Plaza, Celaya. 

43. The Alameda, Celaya. 

44. Church of Our Lady Carmen, Celaya. 

45. Panorama of Zacatecas. 

46. The Cathedral, Chihuahua. 

47. A Mexican Burro. 

48. Governor General's Palace, Merida, Yucatan. 

49. Interior of a Residence, Progresso, Yucatan. 

50. Street Scene in Progresso, Yucatan. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 



Four days from the Crescent City to Vera Cruz is a very 
delightful trip unless a gentle occurrence, called a " norther," 
attempts to sport with the steamer. Far away in the north, 
on the bleak plains of Dakota and Montana, the breeze 
starts, and increasing in fury it moves southward; and when, 
it strikes the Gulf of Mexico the breeze has become the norther, 
and woe betide the passenger who feels its effects. Vessels are 
seldom lost, for they are built to roll and give to the winds ; 
the genial captain of our steamer assured us that she was so 
good at this kind of gymnastics that there was not the slight- 
est danger, for should she roll too far she would come up the 
other side. 

Four days from the highest modern civilization to a land 
where the people still do as they have been doing for the past 
three hundred years ; where the rich and poor kneel side by 
side in a common church ; a land where the sights of the year 
one are mingled with the modern telephone and street car. 
Let the spectator imagine a warm, humid air, a tropical sun 
and sky, and we will introduce our first view. 

I. Vera Cruz Harbor. — Like all those on the east coast 
of Mexico this harbor is a very poor one. The people and 
baggage are transferred from the steamer to the shore in small 
boats, which are frequently upset, giving the passengers a free 
bath, greatly to their disgust, but much to the enjoyment of 
the natives. 

The harbor is rendered dangerous by the northers which 
often visit it ; constant watch is kept by the signal service, and 



6 PICTUKESQUE MEXICO. 

upon the first indication of one a small blue flag is run up. 
This is known by all as the danger signal, and anyone ventur- 
ing on the water after it is up is subject to a heavy fine. These 
northers change the temperature in a few minutes from trop- 
ical heat to a chill, raw atmosphere that renders life miserable. 
The sand is lifted and flung against the windows of the houses 
with such force by these storms that they resemble ground 
glass. 

In the massive stone pier are sunk heavy rings for securing 
the boats. During the northers the sea rolls with such vio- 
lence as to sweep the pier its entire length. 

2. Street in Vera Cruz showing Cathedral. — Vera 
Cruz, the first Spanish settlement on the coast, is quite an im- 
portant city. It has a population of about 15,000, composed 
of a motley collection from many nations. The city is built 
in a semicircle facing the sea, and is regularly laid out; the 
streets, which are wider than usual in tropical countries, run- 
ning east and west from the harbor, with others crossing them 
at right angles. The gutters are in the middle of the street, 
and the sidewalks, when there are any, with the exception of 
those along one or two of the principal streets, are rendered 
almost impassable by the presence of sleeping dogs, that with 
characteristic laziness refuse to move for the pedestrian. 

The town is well defended by a strong wall and by the Cas- 
tle of San Juan de Ulloa, which stands upon an island about 
half a mile from the shore. 

It was upon this island that the first landing was made by 
Cortes, April 21, 1519. On the following day he landed where 
the present city stands. Because his landing was upon Good 
Friday, and because of the rich gold mines discovered, he 
gave to the city he founded the name of " The Rich City of 
the Holy True Cross." 

The cathedral, like most of the antique buildings, is beau- 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 7 

tiful, but one's enjoyment of it is considerably marred by the 
incessant drum of the wooden clapper used by the priests to 
summon the people to prayer, since the Government prohib- 
ited the use of the ofttimes too unmusical bell. 

3. Plaza in Vera Cruz. — This pretty plaza is not large 
and full of distant views as are many of those in Mexico ; 
but it is quaint and curious, with its antique stone bench sur- 
rounding it, and its fountain, and its pavilion for the musi- 
cians ; for the Mexicans love music, and every town has its 
band. The distinctive feature of this plaza is that it is sur- 
rounded with buildings, and is so small that the mind at once 
conceives the idea of a private garden rather than a public 
park. It is lovely in the evening, when the moon shining 
through the gracefully waving branches of the tall cocoanut 
trees makes it appear like fairyland ; and it is the scene of fre- 
quent love-making by the bewitching and bright-eyed little 
Mexican maids. 

4. Patio of the Hotel Universal. — The scene before 
us is a repetition of the usual Mexican interior, for all 
Mexican houses are built in the form of a hollow square, 
and light and air have access through the center as well 
as the outside. In the private residences it is here that 
the people eat their dinners, take their siestas, and in 
every way use the open gallery or hall as a room. When, 
however, the house is a " combination of private residences," 
that is, where each family occupy one or two floors, the gallery 
is surrounded at each story with a veranda, and the lower 
floor is sometimes used as a stable or storehouse. The higher 
up a Mexican lives the better he likes it, and in this warm 
climate the patios and verandas are used more than the rooms 
as places to enjoy life and receive company, the latter being a 
very stately ceremony on the part of a Mexican family. 



8 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

5. Peak of Orizaba from Vera Cruz Railroad. — This 
grand mountain peak, rising 17,370 feet above the sea level, 
forms one of the individual lofty peaks of the range. It is 
visible at every turn of the Vera Cruz Railroad. After the 
train has run out of the rich tropical growth near the Gulf, as 
the cars wind up through the more mountainous districts, 
there appears the glistening white summit of this Giant of 
the Tribe, his head capped with perpetual snow. As we jour- 
ney toward it, it appears to recede, until finally, when we reach 
the plains of the Valley of Mexico, the grand old peak is still 
far to the north, continuing the same silent watch that it has 
kept for ages, 

6. A Street Corner in Cordova. — As we present four 
views of Cordova it will be well to say something of the gen- 
eral appearance of the place. Cordova is a Mexican para- 
dise; from a hill half a mile distant looking toward the town 
the traveler is enchanted by the glow of tropical life: flow- 
ers of exquisite beauty everywhere, and vines and shrubs 
climbing over and branching above the little low, white- 
walled, red-roofed houses, which peep through here and there, 
the rich red of the tiled roofs forming a most deliciously cool 
and grateful prospect. Let us draw nearer the town and stop 
a moment to interview the family in the doorway of the little 
house on the corner. 

We learn that this pretty scene is the home of a "panadero," 
or baker. His house, which, by the way, has native shingles 
on the roof instead of the usual red tiles, is as neat as can be 
made with eternal scrubbing and numerous coats of paint. 
His family, though all have bare feet, are as fresh in their at- 
tire of white muslin as the house in its new paint. Part of 
his wood supply has been dropped in front of his door; "and 
though the day's business may be lost, his family and himself 
will stand and talk with us as long as we may stay. But time 
presses. Let us move on. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 9 

7. Scene in the Tropics, Cordova. — As we leave our 
genial baker friend we turn to the left, and the full glory of a 
tropical day opens before us. 

" Now the noonday quiet holds the hill ; 
The lizard, with his shadow on the stone, 
Eests like a shadow, and the winds are dead. 
The purple flower droops ; the golden bee 
Is lily-cradled." 

In the foreground are some burros (which would not stand 
still to be photographed) loaded with firewood. The luxuri- 
ant vegetation is prominent, while in the distance is the row 
of red-tiled houses, and faintly beyond is the white tower of 
the village church. Absurd as the idea may seem, the pole 
and wire faintly discernible to the left connect the town with 
the Indian village of Amatlan, some six miles away, by tele- 
phone. We will leave this scene of tropic beauty and ap- 
proach the town. 

8. A Hilly Street in Cordova. — As we approach 
nearer the town proper we descend a little slope and have be- 
fore us the row of red-tiled houses seen in the preceding 
picture. The first house to the left is of architecture some- 
what different from the general rule, being half wood and 
half stone. As there is not, with the exception of a street 
car, a single four-wheeled vehicle in Cordova, little children 
play in the middle of the street with perfect safety, as the 
patient burro never dreams of stepping on one. The garden 
to the right is filled with cofiee plants, for Cordova is in the 
midst of a coffee-raising district. Just upon the brow of the 
hill, over the houses to the right, we see the graceful palmetto 
adding beauty to the landscape. 

9. Street and Mountain, Cordova. — As we reach the 
top of the little hill shown in the preceding picture, w© 



10 PICTUEESQUE MEXICO. 

glance to the right and are struck by the exquisite beauty of 
the scene. The slope we have just ascended falls off again, 
and again we see the dreamy beauty of this enchanting town. 
In the distance are the mountains ; and the valley between 
them and the town is but a tangle of tropical growth. 

At midday Cordova sleeps, the siesta lasting from ten 
in the morning until four in the afternoon. No one thinks of 
working. Why should they? Nature abundantly provides 
food, and the intense heat renders anything but the lightest 
clothing a burden. 

The afternoon sun shines brightly, and the shadows are in 
delightful relief. Soon the sunlight will fade away, and the 
soft beauty of a night in Cordova is upon us. 

Moonlight in the Eden of Mexico ! Flowers everywhere ; 
cape jessamine and orange blossoms strike against you as you 
walk along the grassy road, and the stately calla is a common 
wild flower. In the plaza one leans his back against an all- 
spice tree and inhales the fragrance of myriads of roses and 
sweet-scented flowers of almost every variety known to hot 
climates. It is to this spot that all Cordova repairs in the 
evening. The Mexican girl, to enhance her beauty, adorns 
her hair with the cocuyo or firefly, held captive by a single 
strand of hair, its flash of light far outshining the most 
brilliant gems. 

10. Picturesque Street in Orizaba. — Orizaba, the 
mountain pearl, lies at the foot of the mountain from which it 
takes its name. The houses are not built of the regulation 
adobe, but are constructed of stone with red tile roofs, making 
a pleasing variety for the eye, some of the smaller huts 
even being constructed of matted bamboo. 

As is shown in our picture, the streets of this town are 
so clean that the people can with impunity lay their washing 
on the stones to dry. 



PICTUKESQUE MEXICO. 11 

The town, being at an elevation of four thousand feet above 
the sea level, is more moderate in temperature than many of 
the neighboring cities, and has been a place of retreat in sum- 
mer for the people of Vera Cruz, and a j)leasant resort in win- 
ter for the people of the plateau ; it was a favorite resort of 
the Emperor Maximilian. 

In the War of Independence the town was several times 
besieged; and on the night of June 13, 1862, a little force of 
one hundred French Zouaves surprised and routed a force of 
between four and five thousand Mexicans. 

11. Street and Cathedral, Orizaba. — This picture 
gives the spectator an idea of the indifference paid to time in 
Mexico. Everything will do " to-morrow." The ruined wall 
in the distance has been in that condition for years, and will 
probably be so for years to come, as the inhabitants think 
always that " to-morrow " will be time enough to begin to re- 
move it, and their to-morrow never comes. The old wall to 
the left incloses a magnificent flower garden, owned by the 
chief custom official of Orizaba, a gentleman who lives but 
for flowers and birds. Anyone can enter through the gate- 
way shown in the old wall, and wander at will through a 
wilderness of sweetest blossoms, and if he should be so fortu- 
nate as to meet the owner, he will have the pedigree and vir- 
tues of each and every plant explained in the richest of 
Spanish or most broken English. He will not be allowed to 
depart until he is loaded down with blossoms by its kind- 
hearted proprietor. 

12. Tropical Scenery, Orizaba. — Orizaba is a gem, 
a veritable treasure to the antiquarian, the artist and the 
pleasure seeker in general. The days are warm, the nights 
cool, the scenery peculiarly grand and the fruits and flowers 
varied and numerous. Our view shows the quaint buildings 



12 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

rising one after another on the raountain-side, and the bed of 
the stream which winds its way through the town — 

" Babbling low, amid tbe tangled woods, 
Slips down through moss-grown stones with endless laughter." 

In the foreground is a wall around a banana grove, the 
graceful leaves of the tree drooping over it. To the right is a 
Mexican oven built of clay, for an indoor oven is unknown in 
this land of happiness. 

Nobody but the storekeepers appear to work; and should 
you by accident happen to ask a man tending shop the loca- 
tion of some place a mile away, it is very probable he will 
close his shop or leave it to run itself, while the proprietor, 
with many bows, smiles and cigarettes, accompanies you, and 
remains with you until you are ready to return — and all for 
kindness. 

Well may they be obliging, for Nature sets the example by 
furnishing fruits upon which one can live in abundance. 
Here grow spices, bananas, oranges, pineapples, coffee, tea, 
yams and plantains ; and when one variety has ripened and 
gone, another is ready, until it is no wonder that the people 
of this dreamy old place have sixteen more holidays than 
there are days in the year, and keep them all. 

13. Scenery about Orizaba, from Hotel de la 
Borda. — The curious main street winds through the town, 
and in the center are two old Mexican inns ; one called the 
" Diligensia," from the fact that the diligence or stage coach, 
which still runs, has stopped there every day since it was 
first established ; oiDposite is the " Hotel de la Borda," man- 
aged by a little German woman, who years ago drifted to this 
beautiful spot upon the sea of adversity. So aflaliated has 
she become to the land of her adoption that she remembers 
scarcely a word of her native tongue. The view from this 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. ^ 13 

hotel gives a good idea of the location of Orizaba, nestling in 
a little valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains. 

Here the Mexican neatness in painting their houses is ad- 
mirably shown; when we consider that the white part is 
scrupulously white, and that the colored part is a rich terra- 
cotta, and that the paints are made from the minerals by the 
crude art of the Indians, the appearance of their dwellings is 
indeed a great credit to these simple, happy people. 

14. Mexican Kitchen, Orizaba. — This view is pe- 
culiarly interesting, particularly to the ladies, for in the right 
of the picture is the entire outfit of an Orizaba " chef." A 
Mexican kitchen would make an ordinary hotel cook faint 
with surprise, for the average Mexican will do more cooking 
over a six-inch hole in an earthen pot filled with burning 
charcoal than an American will over a four-foot range. The 
small earthen charcoal brazier and three or four pots or jugs, 
perhaps one or two pans, a wooden paddle and a woven fan of 
palmetto complete the kitchen furniture. Charcoal is put in 
the " brazier " from crates of this material (as noticeable in the 
picture), and by means of the fan the fire is brought to a red 
heat ; and every kind of broiling, frying, boiling, etc., will be 
done for a family of a dozen persons over this contracted fire- 
pot. The Mexicans won't have anything better, for cooking 
stoves sent to Mexico share a fate similar to that of the 
wheelbarrows once sent there by an enterprising Yankee, 
which, after the wheels had been taken ofi*, were used on the 
shoulders and backs of the natives, who thought the new style 
basket very nice. 

The Franco-Mexican landlady of a hotel on the street on 
the Cinco del Mayo, City of Mexico, had a stove sent her 
from St. Louis, costing there seventeen dollars. By the time 
it reached her it had increased in value, by addition of duties, 
freight, etc., to some seventy dollars. She, however, persevered 



14 ^ PICTUEESQUE MEXICO. 

and set it up, only to have each one of her cooks strike and 
leave — and to-day upon her hands is a melancholy wreck of a 
rusty stove. 

15. Old Bridge at Acambaro. — Our picture shows the 
only thing in Acambaro that has a prosperous or business-like 
appearance, this having been built some years ago when the 
town was a stopping place of some importance, and had a con- 
siderable trade. Now it is of no importance at all, only a de- 
lightful do-nothing, down-at-the-heel Mexican town, having a 
beautiful little old-fashioned, uncared-for plaza, where the 
Mexican eagle sits on a fountain complacently eating his snake. 
With its tumble-down, one-story adobe houses, aud its towns- 
folk who are content to sun themselves and be thankful that 
sunshine is so plentiful and so cheap, the town is very satisfac- 
tory as it is. Its picturesque appearance requites one for the 
general decay, and the air of dreamy, delicious idleness that 
pervades the place induces one to forgive the native laziness. 

16. Puebla, showing Popocatepetl. — The city of 
Puebla is built on the side of a gently sloping hill, an ar- 
rangement that makes its drainage excellent and adds greatly 
to its picturesqueness. The two volcanoes, Popocatepetl and 
Iztaccihuatl, are in full view west of the city, and being quite 
near, without intervening hills, are impressive and magnificent. 
Our picture gives a very accurate idea of the flat-roofed style 
of Mexican architecture. 

From the foot on the hill of Guadaloupe may be seen one 
of the great views of the world, three snow-crowned volcanoes, 
and a fourth mountain, whose top is just below the snow line. 
Over the low hill of Amaluca is seen the crest of Orizaba, to 
the left a long, broken hill, rising between two smaller ones ; 
farther to the left the height of Malintzi ; far away the Cerro 
del Conde, and then a gradually rising line that culminates in 
the peaks of Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 15 

17. Puebla, showing Iztaccihuatl. — In the foreground 
is the foot of Loreto, beyond the city is the Cerro de San Juan, 
with its hacienda, having three great arches in its facade ; di- 
rectly beyond this is seen the Church of Los Remedies upon 
the Pyramid of Cholula. 

" Groves, through whose broken roof the sky looks in, 
Mountain and shattered cliff and sunny vale, 
The distant lake, fountains and mighty trees, 
In many a lazy syllable repeating 
Their old poetic legends to the wind." 

Puebla is a manufacturing center, and has large manufac- 
tories of cotton cloth, glassware, pottery and inlaid steel bits. 
The streets are delightfully clean and quite wide; all the 
crossways are little causeways, quite necessary during the 
rainy season. 

A peculiar feature of the city is the use of richly glazed tiles 
for both interior and exterior house decoration, and much finely 
wrought iron work will be found in both churches and houses. 

The market of Puebla is peculiarly interesting, and here 
may be bought colored straw baskets and mats and other cu- 
rious Indian manufactures. 

18. Puebla, showing Cathedral. — Elevated upon a ter- 
race the cathedral stands out boldly from the surrounding 
buildings. On the west front rise two lofty towers, and be- 
tween them is the main entrance, surmounted by moldings in 
white marble. An inscription upon the old tower tells that 
its cost was a hundred thousand dollars. In this tower are 
eighteen bells, the largest weighing upward of nine tons. The 
building is massive in construction, with heavy buttresses, the 
whole of a dark stone resembling blue basalt. 

In its interior decoration this cathedral is the finest in 
Mexico. The aisles are divided ofi" by massive columns, and 
the floor is laid in colored marbles. The interior has recently 



16 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

been renovated, and we are happy to say with sound judgment 
and excellent taste, so seldom displayed in the renovation of 
these beautiful churches. The high altar is composed of a 
great variety of Mexican marbles, onyx predominating. The 
two organs are encased in richly carved wood, and adorned 
with figures of angels blowing trumpets. The cathedral is also 
decorated with fine ivory carving and many fine pictures. 

19. Street in Puebla, with Church of San Christo- 
bal. — This church was founded, together with a foundling 
hospital, early in the seventeenth century. The facade is of 
dark stone, similar to that used in the cathedral, and similarly 
ornamented by carvings in white marble. The interior effect 
is one of extraordinary richness, probably produced by the 
ceiling of intricate stucco work. The pulpit is of onyx. 

The raised seats at the sides of the nave are for men, the 
seats in the nave are for women, an arrangement very unusual. ■ 
The church is also ornamented with oil paintings, one or two 
of which are well worthy of attention. This church has re- 
cently been "restored," which happily does not mean in this 
case, as it does in many others, that all its artistic beauty has 
been destroyed. 

20. Aztec Pyramid of Cholula. — Leaving the city of 
Puebla in the morning and driving about nine miles over a 
dusty, winding road we reach the far-famed pyramid. The 
view in this instance is particularly good, for though it dispels 
all idea of a pyramid as we have been accustomed to think of 
them, particularly those in Egypt, yet it shows the general 
form and the chapel at the top with peculiar distinctness. 
This pyramid is built of sun-dried adobe bricks, but time and 
the different races of people who have held the country have 
disfigured its shape until it resembles a small irregular moun- 
tain instead of a square pyramid, which was undoubtedly its 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 17 

original shape. To-day upon the summit stands the church 
of Neustra Senora de Los Remedios, and a constant travel up 
the long limestone steps is kept up by the penitents from the 
town of Cholula at the base. The Indians of Cholula have 
found that the American visitor loves curios and antiques, and 
the weary climber of pyramids no sooner reaches the top of 
this old mound than he is surrounded by numerous young 
Indians of both sexes, who have baskets of stone and clay 
idols picked up around the place, and one is enabled for a few 
coins to purchase all the gods of the ancient Aztec calendar. 
When this pyramid was built is not known, its history being 
lost in the years preceding the coming of Cortes ; but it is 
certainly wonderful, being larger than those of Egypt, and 
built by a people who were infants in feats of engineering com- 
pared with the Egyptians. A theory advanced by more than 
one eminent antiquarian is that it is the tomb of some ancient 
monarch, whose last command was that every year so many 
layers of bricks should be built over him. The Indian, with 
the love for his king which characterized the Aztec, faithfully 
obeyed the command, until generations passed away and ruler 
and rule were alike forgotten. 

21. Panorama of the City of Mexico. — The City of 
Mexico lies nearly in the center of the valley of Mexico, at an 
elevation of 7,434 feet above the sea level. The ancient city 
of Tenochtitlan covered about one-fourth of the area occupied 
by the existing City of Mexico. 

"The site of the City of Tenochtitlan was chosen by 
the gods. In the southwestern border of Lake Tezcuco one 
morning, in 1300, a wandering tribe of Aztecs saw an 
eagle perched with outstretched wings upon a cactus, and 
holding a serpent in its talons. At a word from their priests 
they took possession of the marsh, and there stayed their mi- 
gration and founded the' city. Such is the tradition. As men 



18 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

love to trace their descent back to some storied greatness, na- 
tions delight to associate the gods with their origin. 

" Originally the Aztecs were barbarous. In their southern 
march they brought .with them only their arms and a spirit of 
sovereignty. The valley of Anahuac, when they reached it, 
was already peopled ; in fact, had been so for ages. The cul- 
tivation and progress they found and conquered there reacted 
upon them. They grew apace, and as they carried their 
shields into neighboring territory, as by intercourse and com- 
merce they crept from out their shell of barbarism, as they 
strengthened in oj)ulence and dominion, they repudiated the 
reeds and rushes of which their primal houses were built, and 
erected enduring temples and residences of Oriental splendor. 

" Under the smiles of the gods, whom countless victims kept 
propitiated, the city threw abroad its arms, and, before the 
passage of a century, became the emporium of the valley. Its 
people climbed the mountain around, and, in pursuit of cap- 
tives to grace their festivals, made the conquest of ' Mexico.' 
The arts grew and flourished ; its market became famous ; the 
nobles and privileged orders made it their dwelling-place ; 
wealth abounded ; as a consequence, a vast population speedily 
filled its walls and extended them as required." 

We have before us a bird's eye view of one of the principal 
streets of the city, which greatly resembles one of our more 
modern cities. To the left, however, the Mexican style of flat 
roof will be observed. The average Mexican roof of a private 
house is as flat as a pavement, and generally the stamping 
ground for numerous broods of chickens. The roofs are made 
to serve as gardens and promenades, and the contrast between 
their picturesque beauty and the barrenness of the tin and 
slate roofs of our own country is most noticeable. 

22. The Cathedral, City of Mexico. — The cathedral, 

which is built upon or near the site of the great Aztec temple 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 19 

destroyed by the Spaniards when they conquered the city, was 
built in 1524. The building measures 387 feet from north 
to south, 177 feet from east to west, with an interior height 
of 179 feet. It is built of gray stone, with statues, friezes, 
bases and capitals of white marble, making a harmonious 
color effect. We have large buildings and grand ones in this 
country, but we have none that excite the peculiar feeling of 
awe that the perfect outlines of the towers of this noble build- 
ing do, as they rear their massive forms like twin giants over 
the roofs and pinnacles of the city. These belfries are grandly 
beautiful, hung with ponderous bells weighing tons. No 
man can imagine how they were built and the bells placed in 
position by means of the crude labor and implements possessed 
by these people. 

The interior is severely simple in style ; its beauty is marred 
by the wooden floors and modern altars, and by a lack of 
suitable decoration. The central arches form a Latin cross, 
above which rises a fine dome. 

23. Aztec Calendar Stone. — This wonderful relic of 
ancient Mexico is a large stone, about eight feet in diameter, 
several inches thick, and its face is covered with signs and 
figures. By means of this stone the subjects of Montezuma 
were enabled to know the seasons, the months, the moon's 
phases, and the movements of many heavenly bodies. It 
is curious to think of the great wisdom these ancient people 
possessed ; for the amount of knowledge depicted on the calen- 
dar stone is astonishing, and only proves how great progress 
the Indians had made when visited by Cortes and his band of 
destruction. 

24. Plaza Guadaloupe, City of Mexico. — One of the 

most charming environs of Mexico is the little village of 
Guadaloupe. 



20 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

In primitive times tHe Aztec divinity, the "Mother of 
Gods," had a shrine at this place. One morning while a 
native was on his way to early mass, as he neared the hill he 
heard the music of angels ; looking up he beheld a lady, who 
told him that in this place should be built a temple to her 
honor. When the bishop heard the story he could not give it 
credence. The Indian returned and told the lady of the 
bishop's incredulity ; she bade him come to her again. On the 
following Sunday she appeared to him and repeated her order 
that the temple should be built. The bishop, still incred- 
ulous, heard the message, and ordered the Indian to bring 
some sign by which the truth of his statements would be 
proved. He again met the lady and told her that he was re- 
quired to bring some sign of her appearance. She ordered 
him to cut some flowers from that barren hill, and to his amaze- 
ment he perceived flowers growing there. She commanded 
him to take these miraculous blossoms to the bishop as the 
sign that he had requested. He wrapped them in his mantel 
and hurried away ; and then, from the spot where the Holy 
Lady stood, there gushed forth a spring of blackish water, 
which is now venerated as an antidote for all ills. No less than 
four churches have been built in honor of this miraculous ap- 
pearance. 

Before us is a part of what was once a " barren hill." The 
luxuriant growth of trees and shrubs and sweet-scented 
flowers, with the music of the fountain, makes this indeed a 
place of enchantment, where one could dream his life away. 

25. Market Day in the City of Mexico. — In one 

sense of the word every day is market day here, for there are 
always venders, and numbers of them, in the crowded, dirty 
little market of the capital. The City of Mexico has the most 
unpleasant market in the Republic, and its small, narrow con- 
fines are taken up with venders of articles of every descrip- 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 21 

tion, from beans to boots, and from hot cakes to shawls. 
These merchants are all mixed up together, all talking at 
once, and each one determined to be heard ; a babel of 
tongues, a mixture of men, women, burros, dogs and babies, 
and a wonderful combination of odors. In short, the market 
of Mexico is a meeting of as motley a group of sounds, sights 
and smells as could be conceived by the wildest imagination. 

The scene in the picture shows a. street in front of the mar- 
ket, which contains the overflow of the market proper, and is 
sometimes full for a long distance. In the foreground are the 
women, with hot tomalies and other compounds of corn meal 
and cayenne pepper in their baskets. 

One curious feature of the market is that a single article 
can be bought at as cheap a rate as one hundred. If you ask 
the price of one orange you will be told " one centaro," and 
the price of one hundred oranges will be solemnly quoted as 
" one hundred centaros." 

26. Street Market Scene, City of Mexico. — You will 

notice that even when market is held in the streets the vege- 
tables are piled right on the dirty pavement. 

Much amusement is afforded strangers by the curious way 
in which a hat merchant will peddle his wares. He puts one 
hat on top of another until he has a pile six feet high, then he 
places the whole structure on his head, strutting up and down 
like an animated barber's pole, and yelling at the top of his 
voice. When he makes a sale he doffs not one, but a dozen 
hats. 

Every article that is needed by the average Mexican can be 
found at these street markets, charcoal, crockery, vegetables, 
poultry, fruit, flowers and birds being included in the number. 

27. "Water Carrier. — In this land of wonders and absurd 
practices the water carrier is no exception to the rule. He is 



22 PICTUEESQUE MEXICO. 

generally a man, though sometimes he is an adjunct in the 
shape of a lanky, flat-eared donkey, which meanders along as if 
he had nothing in particular to do and did not care how he 
did it. The man water carrier is generally loaded fore and 
aft, that is, he will carry a big stoneware jug, or "olla," in 
front, and a still larger one, or infant barrel, on his back, the 
latter held in place by a sort of harness, and its falling 
weight taken by a strap over the forehead. 

The donkey, on the other hand, is loaded to port and star- 
board, and as the jugs or kegs stick out from his body in each 
direction, and the donkey is not particular as to whom he 
bumps on his travels, he usually has the section of country 
through which he is moving entirely to himself ^ 

These water carriers can be seen in all parts of the Repub- 
lic, at all hours of the day, here and there, both men and don- 
keys always at a sort of trot, never seeming to have any idea 
of their destination, but, like Tennyson's brook, going on for- 
ever. 

28. La Viga Canal, City of Mexico. — The name of 
this canal is probably derived from the wooden bridges of 
vigas (beams) which once spanned it. It is one of the most in- 
teresting sights of the city, for here it is that the middle and 
lower classes resort on Sunday and feast-day afternoons. If a 
stranger desires to take a trip on the canal, the beginning of 
the cruise is almost a fight with the crowd of boatmen as to 
which boat shall be taken and the amount to be paid for its 
use. By playing the men against each other, and finally pre- 
tending to give up the expedition in disgust, a reasonable 
price will be made. The boats are flat-bottomed, twelve or 
fifteen feet long, and about four feet wide, the whole aflTair 
looking like a species of rude gondola. After starting we al- 
most immediately pass through the Garita de la Viga, where 
the merchandise boats are halted to pay the city tax. Out- 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 23 

side the Garita a line of boats, loaded with firewood, is usually 
found, for the larger boats cannot pass through the narrow 
passages formed by the stone arches. 

Our stalwart gondolier is evidently out for a pleasant time, 
and is taking his fair lady to one of the resorts down the 
canal. 

If you have made the trip on Sunday or on a feast day, the 
return trip is one of the memorable sights of Mexico. The 
canal is crowded with boats of all sorts and sizes, filled with 
light-hearted merrymakers. On every side may be heard the 
tinkling of guitars and the sound of voices ; on the larger 
boats dancing is going on. With the moon in the clear, 
blue sky, the lights of the city in the distance, and the deli- 
cious fragrance of flowers pervading the atmosphere, one may 
believe that he is in a place of enchantment. 

29. Vegetable Boats on the La Viga Canal. — The 

canal is the high road of trafiic for certain classes of Mexi- 
cans, inasmuch as it leads from the once floating gardens to 
the populous part of the city. Every day can be seen num- 
berless boats of every size and age freighting flowers, fruits 
and vegetables to the city. These vegetable boats are long, 
narrow affairs, as will be seen by the group in the picture, 
moored side by side. Each and every one bears a most fanci- 
ful name, and the owners, with a keen sense of the ludicrous, 
use the national jokes as names for their boats. One ex- 
tremely ancient and dilapidated boat is given the name of 
" The English Debt." This is in derision, as the Mexicans cor- 
dially hate the English, to whom a national debt is owed, and 
probably will be for long years to come. The vegetable 
boats are very long, some forty feet, very narrow, square bow 
and stern, seldom painted and as ugly as can be conceived. 
When filled with vegetables, however, they are. beautiful, for 
the Mexican gardener piles his cabbages, turnips and beets. 



24 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

with an eye to the picturesque, in regular strips and cones, 
varying the size and color, until a dingy vegetable boat resem- 
bles a pretty bouquet, enlarged and resting in a rude rustic 
box. 

30. Shipping Pulque. — Every one has heard of the cen- 
tury plant, but many do not know that this giant cactus is the 
natural beer brewery of Mexico. The century plant in this 
country is but a dwarf beside its brother in the land of Mon- 
tezuma, where it grows with the center stalk bearing a flower, 
the whole sometimes twenty feet or more in height. Thou- 
sands and thousands of acres of this plant are under cultiva- 
tion to furnish the national drink. When the plant has 
reached maturity the center is cut out and a bowl-like cavity 
is formed, which slowly fills with the juice. The pulque gath- 
erer then comes along with a pig skin sewed up to form a bag, 
and by means of a long gourd he sucks the juice out of the 
plant bowl into the skin bag. When by repeated visits to dif- 
ferent plants the skin is filled, it is deposited on a cart and 
hauled to the railroad stations and poured in casks, as seen in 
the picture. Pulque, when fresh, is rather pleasant, being 
sweet and having somewhat the taste of Eussian " koomis," 
but when a few days old and fermented, to the enlightened 
taste it is simply disgusting. Imagine a slimy liquid having 
a taste between that of slightly sour milk and the odor of 
ancient eggs, and you have pulque. But the Mexicans love it 
and thrive on it, and it is the great drink for young and old. 

31. Bull Fight. — The picture represents the introduction 
of the participants of the most barbarous sport in the world ; 
and it is a puzzle to understand how a people so gentle and 
sensitive in many respects can be ^so wanton and brutal in 
others. The entrance into the ring of the bull fighters and 
their assistants, as shown in the picture, is the signal for a 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 25 

storm of applause from the thousands of people sitting in their 
places of comfort around the arena. Fair ladies and noble- 
looking men are there, together with all other classes, to feast 
their eyes on this brutal exhibition of animal suffering. Men, 
too, sometimes suffer, for many fighters are annually killed by 
the maddened "torro;" and at one exhibition inToluca, when 
a maddened bull squared accounts with a fighter, the people 
commented on the " lovely fight in which nine horses and one 
torrero were killed." You will understand that good horses 
are not used in this massacre ; only old sorry wrecks, blinded 
with a fancy head gear, are ridden, and the bull is allowed to 
deliberately thrust his powerful horn through the horse's ribs, 
generally tearing a hole large enough to run an arm in. The 
audience applaud as the blood spurts out, and the suffering 
and dying brute falls while his rider is still spurring him 
toward the exit of the arena. 

L/ittle do people realize the awful work of the bull ring. 
While the better-minded people of the Kepublic have a peti- 
tion to prohibit this cruel sport before the Government, still 
the seats are always filled, and the audience is composed of 
the flower of Mexico. Let us hope that the day will come 
when the cruelty of the bull ring will be a thing of the past, 
and lovely Mexico will be freed from the terrible influences of 
this great national crime. 

32. A Mexican Saloon.— Of course the saloon of Mex- 
ico is like those of other countries in its chief aspect — drink — 
but in Mexico the saloon is not abused as in our land. An 
American takes a drink not because he is thirsty in the true 
sense of the word, but because he loves beer, or wine, or 
whisky, as the case may be ; but the Mexican, besides loving 
the pulque, lives in a land of heat and poor water, therefore 
the workman, the wayfarer, and the dusty cattle driver all 
seek the one haven — the " Pulquerio "^— and there enjoy the 



26 PICTUKESQUE MEXICO. 

pulque to their hearts' content. Seldom is seen, however, 
scenes of drunkenness or disorder, for the Mexican people in 
their ignorance seem to have more regard for propriety than 
their more enlightened neighbors to the North. 

The name of the saloon in the picture with the painted flags 
above it indicates the proprietor's desire to inform the gen- 
eral public that he entertains people of all nations. This 
saloon, however, bears a modest title, for many fanciful names 
are used, such as the " Explosion," " The Lover's Retreat," 
"The Shower of Pearls," "The Wreath of Flowers," "The 
Bull Ring," "The Joy of the People," each proprietor striv- 
ing to outdo his neighbor in the selection of a name calcu- 
lated to please and attract. 

33. Chapultepec (Maximilian's Garden). — At the 
sound of that name what memories of the past arise! The 
castle- crowned hill, the passes leading to it, the road winding 
around the hill to the summit, the beautiful grounds surround- 
ing it, laid out with shrubbery gardens dotted with statues 
commemorating past events — these are the fitting home of the 
countless legends that encircle this massive pile. 

This is a palace in fact as well as in name, an immense 
building, in which are large halls and galleries handsomely 
decorated. 

Chapultepec is a little more than two miles southwest of the 
city. The hill is one of several isolated rocks which pro- 
trude above the swampy soil of the valley. Being surrounded 
by a marsh it was occupied by the founders of Tenochtitlan 
before making there still more secure city in the middle of the 
lake. 

At its eastern foot is a large spring, whence a portion of the 
city's water supply is drawn. Legend says that the cavern 
from which this spring issues was in years gone by inhabited 
by Malinche, whose sweet singing enchanted " caballeros," lur- 
ing them to certain destruction. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 27 

At the base of the hill is a large grove of ancient and 
moss-grown cypresses, dating from before the conquest, form- 
ing one of the most impressive sights in Mexico. 

34. The Terrace (Chapultepec). — This picture shows 
the marbled terrace around one of the gardens of the palace. 

" All round about the fragrant marge 
From fluted vase and urn 
In order, tropic flowers large. 
Some dropping low their crimson bells 
Half closed, and others, studded wide 
With disks and tiars, fed the time 
With odor." 

The beautiful building has never been completed, for on 
entering the doors, shown in the right of the picture, the eye is 
met by bare brick walls, and there is nothing but dreary 
emptiness in the hall once designed to be royally beautiful. 

From this lofty elevation the view is superb. Directly in 
front lies the City of Mexico, dimly distinct and recalling 
many memories of the picture it must have presented to 
Cortes, when he and his band climbed the mountain wall. 
There are the blue waters of the four lakes ; facing the city is 
a glorious succession of fields and hamlets ; to the right is the 
charming suburb of Tacubaya ; in the southeast, above a long 
range of mountains, are the volcanic peaks, poetized by the 
Aztecs into the "White Woman " and the " Smoking Hill ;" 
and in the distance looms up the silvery head of Orizaba. 

This castle was the place where the flower of the Mexican 
cadets and the noblest of the land rallied to defend the coun- 
try against the invading Yankee, or " Gringo." What a 
determined fight was made no tongue can tell, and the eye of 
the cadet 6f to-day (for the lower part of the castle is now 
the National Military School) flashes fire us he speaks of the 
heroic defense made forty years ago ! 



28 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

35. In the Hanging Gardens, Chapultepec. — As 

we enter the doors, shown in the picture, of the terrace and are 
struck by the evident neglect, we pass directly through this 
apartment and through opposite doors into the gardens of the 
castle. Hanging gardens do not hang, but are far up on the 
different elevations of the castle. The picture shows the prin- 
cipal garden of the front castle, and its romantic interior is 
faithfully depicted, filled with trees, shrubs, flowers and beau- 
tiful statuary. In the distance is the dome of the castle. 
Close to the right hand corner is seen one of the numerous 
secret passages leading to some other part of the buildings, 
to what part is not known, for the wardens are jealous of 
strangers, and wherever the visitor may turn he may be sure 
there are watchful eyes noting every movement. An attempt 
to pluck a single flower will bring a stern command in Span- 
ish to cease, by which, if he is careful, the visitor will be 
guided in future. 

In the castle cleanliness reigns with peace and quiet, and 
the Mexican cadet there learns the art of war, and in the long, 
dreamy afternoons reads of the past when the empire of Mex- 
ico was in its glory, and trusts the day may come when he 
may do as his ancestors did — fight and die for his native land ! 

36. Old Spanish Castle and Street, Morelia. — Mo- 

relia, an ancient paradise of flowers, lies 235 miles from the 
City of Mexico. Built upon a hill that rises in the midst of 
a lovely valley, it is very clean and dry and has a delightful 
climate, and is one of the most satisfying cities of Mexico. 

At the peak of the town, between two large plazas, is the 
cathedral, massive in proportion and with beautifully orna- 
mented facade. From this central elevation the streets de- 
scend in all directions toward the surrounding meadows. Op- 
posite the cathedral is a magnificent castle, whose turrets are 
in the semblance of the crown of Spain. This noble edifice, 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 29 

said to have been built in the time of Phillip II, is now used 
by the different embassies. 

The water is supplied to the city from a spring about four 
miles distant, by a handsome stone aqueduct erected in 1785 
by Fray Antonio de San Miguel Inglesias, in order to provide 
work, and so means to procure food to the starving people. At 
the present time water is splashing through every arch, and 
verdure has sprung up, making the entire aqueduct look like 
a series of triumphal arches. 

37. Panorama of Guanahuata. — The city is situated in 
a deep ravine ; the houses, built of adobe, plaster and stone, 
are built in almost incredible positions on the mountain side. 
The general eifect of the city — narrow and irregular streets, 
broken by sharp acclivities, along which are ranged fortress- 
like houses — is eminently mediaeval. This antique effect is 
lessened, however, by the bustling activity that pervades the 
place ; and along the streets are carried telephone and 
telegraph wires. Owing to its situation it is liable to 
dangerous inundations, which occasion great loss of life and 
property. 

Guanahuata is noted for its beautiful hanging gardens, and 
its small, quaint, three-cornered plaza, in which charming 
place the band plays in the afternoons and evenings of Sun- 
days and feast days. 

Near the city are valuable silver mines. These mines are 
descended by stone stairways and are the most accessible in 
Mexico. 

38. Fountain at Guanahuata. — The fountain in this 
picture is located at the corner formed by two streets and is 
the most frequently visited place in the neighborhood. In 
Mexican cities the people do not have a water supply run in 
pipes to their houses, as we do in our laud of conveniences ; 



30 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

the better class have their servants pump water from wells to 
tanks on the houses, but the poor classes all flock to the foun- 
tains ; and go when you will there is always a crowd. The 
people in the picture evidently knew that they were being 
photographed, for they are all looking toward us. We see the 
water carriers, the women who are filling their jars for domes- 
tic use, and most probably lingering to have a sly chat about 
their neighbors' faults or the next feast day of the saints. But 
what their errands are other than to get water is left to con- 
jecture, for the main business of the Mexican seems to be 
drawing water, and all day long a constant stream of people, 
of all ages and sexes, go to and from this center of attrac- 
tion. 

39, Cathedral and Plaza, Guanahuata. — The view is 
a portion of a street in this quaint town : to the right is the 
pavement bordering the plaza, to the left is the post office, and 
in the background is the very picturesque cathedral. This 
old church, first built about the year 1557, has within the past 
fifty years been renovated. The beautiful old altars have been 
torn away, and the present costly and commonplace ones 
erected in their stead. Similar detrimental changes have been 
made in other parts of the structure, but in spite of all this 
the church is very interesting and well worth a visit. 

On the pavement of the plaza may be seen a white-capped 
policeman : and here let us say a word about the Mexican 
police. They are simply a portion of the military, and always 
as neat and clean in appearance as they are polite and gentle 
in manner. They will direct and even guide the stranger with 
a manner which makes the foreign visitor long to take two or 
three of them home with him among his other curiosities. 

40. Ox Team at Guadalajara. — As we have observed 
before, Mexican customs are very crude; they carry a wheel- 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 31 

barrow on their backs rather than propel it in the usual way ; 
they plough with a crooked stick ; they do a thousand things 
which tend to make a sane man think he is dreaming ; but of 
all the outrageous contrivances the Mexican cart is the worst, 
— so crude that it makes your bones ache to thiuk of ridiug in 
it; so heavy that a good team is required to move it when 
empty ; and so noisy that it would break up a Louisiana 
baptismal shouting meeting. Not the pleasant, gentle noise 
of a Philadelphia ice wagon, but a succession of blood-curd- 
ling squeaks and groans, yells and howls, does this musical ve- 
hicle give vent to. The wheels are made of a section from 
the trunk of a tree, with a hole cut as near the center as a 
Mexican can do it while almost going to sleep over the job. 
With a wooden hub run ungreased, uncared for and neglected 
on a wooden axle, the effect is impossible to describer. When 
a Mexican cart is aproaching, the fact will be perfectly im- 
pressed upon the dullest mind long before "the music box itself 
appears in sight ; and for days after one has passed, especially 
when heavily loaded, the teeth will be set on edge by the pain- 
ful memory of those awful shrieks. The oxen seem callous to 
the noise, but they, like their drivers, are used to it, otherwise 
we are inclined to think that there would be a scarcity in the 
ranks of the common-sense ox. 

41. Guadalajara, showing Cathedral. — This city is 
charmingly situated in a pleasant valley, abundantly watered. 
It is regularly laid out, the streets crossing each other at right 
angles, but it is broken by the picturesque windings of the lit- 
tle river San Juan de Dios, which divides it into two parts. 
The city is rendered still more pleasing by its many well shaded 
and flowery public parks. Along the banks of the river is 
a delightful Paseo, shaded by great elms. 

The cathedral has a brown facade in which is a clock, and 
is flanked by two towers. One of these towers contains a bell, 



32 PICTUEESQUE MEXICO. 

wliich is struck only when an announcement is to be made of 
some fortunate event of great importance. Another bell was 
formerly rung to ward off thunder-storms, which rage in great 
violence in summer. The mission of this bell is ended now, 
as the church is well provided with lightning rods. The pres- 
ent imposing structure is in great contrast to the original 
cathedral, which was a little building thatched with straw, 
and cost to erect it just twenty dollars. 

The dwelling houses inGuadalajara are good, many of them 
handsome ; the stores have a comfortable air, and the churches 
are unusually fine. The inhabitants are as lively, energetic 
and agreeable people as will be found in all Mexico. 

42. Church and Plaza, Celaya. — Celaya, built in the 
broad valley of the Laja, is of considerable commercial im- 
portance. AVoolen cloth, cotton prints, soap and sweetmeats 
are its principal manufactures. Celaya is noted all over 
Mexico for its sweets. As soon as the train rolls into the 
station you are beset by a horde of men and boys all having 
for sale little round boxes of prettily colored candy. But the 
inviting appearance of the candy is decidedly offset by the 
anything but clean appearance of the vender, and the wary 
traveler refuses to purchase. 

Our picture shows the edge of the plaza, with its fine old 
trees, and rows of benches whicb are quite modern, and not 
very comfortable looking. Surrounding this are the " portals " 
or arches over the sidewalk, where congregate the merchants, 
peddlers, fakirs, and every kind of catch-penny show. Here 
may be bought articles of every description, from a set of di- 
lapidated false teeth to a live parrot or monkey. 

A glance at the top of these buildings will show you the 
Mexican idea of roof drainage. Over the edge of the roof 
extends a clay pipe, and beyond this one of tin, from which 
the water is allowed to pour down into the street or on the 
head of the passer by. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 33 

The chief attraction of Cela.ya lies in its churches ; our pict- 
ure shows the tower of one of these churches, with its ladder 
leading to the belfry, and a ruined wall, which the natives, 
with characteristic laziness, have neglected to remove. 

43. Alameda at Celaya.— This Alameda lies on the 
outskirts of the town, and is remarkable for its luxuriant 
growth of shrubbery and fragrant flowers of every descrip- 
tion. Our picture shows the central walk in the Alameda, 
with its rows of grand old trees giving a dignified aspect, and 
its curiously-carved antique benches adding a touch of quaint- 
ness. Well might we say with the poet : 

" They came to that smooth-swarded bower, 
And at their feet the crocus brake like fire, 
Lotos and lilies, 

And overhead the wandering vine 
This way and that, in many a wild festooa 
Ean riot, garlanding the gnarled boughs 
With bunch and berry and flower. 
***** ^s 

Imbower'd vaults of pillar'd palm 

Imprisoning sweets, which, as they clomb 
Heavenward, were stayed beneath the dome 
Of hollow boughs." 

If the trees could indeed tell us how many tales of love had 
been spoken under their branches, and how many hearts had 
been pierced by the magic of those wondrous Spanish eyes, 
we might be willing to listen forever. 

44. Church of Our Lady Carmen, Celaya. — All of 

the architectural beauty of the city is due to one man, 
Eduardo Tresguerras, often called the Michael Angelo of 
Mexico. He combined in one person the genuis of the archi- 
tect, the painter and the sculptor. His great work, famous 
throughout Mexico, is the noble church of Our Lady Carmen, 



34 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

remarkable alike for its size, its grandeur, its beautiful sim- 
■ plicity united with dignity, its lightness and its grace. It is 
surmounted by a tower and dome, both renowned for their ex- 
traordinary beauty. The church, in the form of a Latin cross, 
is 220 feet long by 55 feet wide, and 67 feet high. It is 
enriched with notable frescoes and fine oil paintings. 

There is very little to be seen in Celaya but its churches ; 
but anyone with a love for the beautiful will find in the 
church of the Carmen alone sufficient reward for a trip 
thither. 

45. Panorama of Zacatecas. — This picture gives a view 
of the most crowded part of the town, which, though located 
in a barren country, is one of the most picturesque cities of 
Mexico. It is essentially a mining city — this industry being 
the main business of the people. Zacatecas is dirty, ill-smell- 
ing and noisy, with streets crooked and uneven. 

In the background is the hill called the Bufa, and seen 
very faintly, on the left summit, is the chapel of Los Remedies. 
Up to this chapel pilgrimages are made by penitents, many of 
them on their knees the entire distance, to atone for some great 
crime they or their relations fancy they have committed. 

This city greatly resembles those of the Holy Land, and the 
passenger on the Mexican Central train (which passes along 
on the side of the ravine opposite the city) is fairly entranced 
by the magnificence of the view spread out before him. 

46. The Cathedral, Chihuahua. — Chihuahua stands in 
the midst of a desolate plain, surrounded by mountains. The 
houses are all built of adobe, and as is usual in towns built of 
this material, it is very picturesque, but not impressive. 

The one strong point of Chihuahua is the fine old church of 
San Francisco, often incorrectly called the cathedral. 

The expenses of building this church were raised by levying 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 35 

a tax of one real to the half pound of silver produced by the 
Santa Eulalie Mine, amounting, it is estimated, to $800,000, 
The building is unusually high for its width, as are also the 
towers, producing au effect of lightness and grace not often 
seen in Mexican architecture. Upon the richly-ornamented 
facade of the church are the statues of San Francisco and the 
twelve Apostles. In the recesss of the pillars supporting the 
dome are basso-relievoes of the fathers of the Church. 

In one of the towers hangs a bell that was broken by a 
cannon ball during the bombardment of the city by the 
French. 

This church is so well situated that from almost any point 
outside the town the towers can be seen against a background 
of blue sky and low-lying hills. 

47. A Mexican Burro. — This bird is peculiar to Mexico, 
and more so to himself. He resembles no other living creature 
in his characteristics. Where he sprung from is left to ages 
gone by to fathom, but a good guess would be that he came over 
with Cortes to freight some fat old priest around. But there 
he is, very much there, and likely to remain so, for he is as 
important to Mexico as a railroad to this country. The burro 
will live on anything, from fence rails to old boots, and when 
nothing is to be had he takes it philosophically and waits. 
His countenance is varied according to age, disposition and 
other traits, but it always has a tinge of sadness. The nose of 
the brother in the picture has not been hit with a whitewash 
brush as would seem — the color is entirely natural. The burro 
is of all colors from white to black. He has two ears like 
leaves of a banana tree, which wobble and flap as he walks ; 
the only use he puts them to is occasionally to club an impu- 
dent fly ofi" his hind leg, and he does not have to stretch to do 
it either. The burro fed well and groomed — promptly dies; 
indeed the only treatment known to keep him in good trim is 



36 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

to let him alone to forage for himself, which he will do with a 
certainty that is admirable. A bit is never put in his mouth. 
When he is wanted to move, the Mexican driver gently intimates 
the fact in his rear with a pointed stick ; and when he is 
wanted to stop for repairs, the only sure way is to steer him 
head on to a wall, whereupon he will promptly halt, and, if 
not turned round and started in another direction, will wait 
till the end of time for the wall to be moved for him to pass. 
The occasion, however, when he is lovable is Avhen he sings 
Ye gods, preserve us ! He lifts his tail, spreads all four feet 
apart, his ears get as far apart as they can, he opens his jaws, 
and then — but there is no wish to drive anyone frantic by 
further demonstration. Sufficient to say that when this lovely 
animal starts to repeat his ditty, all work, conversation and 
comfort anywhere in the vicinity must cease and wait until he 
is out of breath, for he won't stop until he is ; and after he is 
done the former busy hum of life seems to be impressive 
silence. 

48. Governor-General's Palace, Merida. — Merida is 
the capital of Yucatan, and is the center of a large and rap- 
idly growing trade in henequin fiber. 

A traveler who has time will be amply repaid if he stops 
at Merida, and taking the train make a trip of sixty miles to 
Urmal, where a study of the antiquarian treasures will amply 
repay the discomforts of the journey. 

The most interesting buildings in the city are the churches, 
of which there are a number, the cathedral and the church 
of San Juan de Dios being especially fine. 

Our picture gives us a view of the Governor-General's pal- 
ace, with its fine old park in front. The building is of quite 
recent date, and of a very noble though simple style of archi- 
tecture. The double row of arches, over which is a clock, 
flanked by a tower, make a most imposing appearance. 



PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 37 

49. Interior of a Residence, Progresso. — We have 
here the interior of a fine residence. The tiled floor and gen- 
eral cool appearance render it especially attractive on a warm 
day. 

"The first aspiration with the Mexicans is to make home 
beautiful, and to this end every element of a cultured and 
refined taste is duly provided and cared for within the mas- 
sive doors. The exquisite beauty of the rare and gorgeous 
flowers in the patios affords constant pleasure by day, while 
by night they have only to glance upward to obtain wondrous 
visions of a star-gemmed firmanent. 

" Hospitality is one of the national characteristics, but it is 
of a nature peculiar to itself, and, contrary to our customs, the 
latch-string hangs on the inside, for the court circles of Europe 
are not more exclusive than the higher classes of society 
in Mexico. The architecture of the houses — their barred win- 
dows and well guarded doors, which prevent intrusion from 
prying curiosity — together with the climate and customs, con- 
spire to incline the people to lead exclusive lives."* 

50. Street Scene in Progresso. — Our picture presents 
a view of a street in an old Mexican town, in which the 
quaint style of the houses is in striking contrast to the very 
practical telegraph poles along the walk. This is a street in 
Progresso, a port at which vessels stop to take on a cargo of 
the goods manufactured at Merida. Evidently a vessel has 
just arrived, for everyone seems hastening to the wharf, and it 
is from this port that we shall sail for home. Glad, indeed, 
are we at the prospect of once more setting foot on our native 
land, but sad at the thought of leaving the country where we 
have experienced so much delight — the land where the ancient 
and the modern, the pathetic and the ludicrous are so curi- 

* From " Face to Face with the Mexicans." 



38 PICTURESQUE MEXICO. 

ously blended. And as we set sail, with the azure sky of 
the tropics above and fragrance all about us, let us repeat the 
advice so appropriately given: "If you would see Mexico 
while the glamour that Prescott's 'Conquest' threw over it 
still lingers, you must go quickly, for the ' prince, whose name 
is Young America, is already on the way to awake the sleeping 
beauty from the repose of centuries.' " 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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